Bloody Sunday Para 'remembers nothing'

By Neil Tweedie

12:01AM BST 02 Oct 2003

A former paratrooper, described as the individual most responsible for instigating the events of Bloody Sunday, said yesterday that he remembered almost nothing about his part in the killings of 13 civilians.

The man, referred to as Soldier F, admitted during previous investigations that he shot three men during a demonstration in the Bogside area of Londonderry on Jan 30, 1972.

But he insisted in evidence to the Saville Inquiry, on day 375 of its deliberations, that he had almost complete memory loss about his actions on the day.

More than 120 relatives of the dead were flown from Northern Ireland to hear testimony from the former lance corporal, who was shown by forensic scientific evidence to have shot dead 17-year-old Michael Kelly as he stood at a barricade on Rossville Street.

Soldier F was said to have fired 13 high-velocity rounds on the day, the second highest total. But he told the inquiry he could not remember where or why he had done so, answering most questions with a "No" or "I cannot recollect". Instead, he referred the inquiry to statements made by him to the Royal Military Police in the immediate aftermath of the shootings and to his statement to the Widgery Inquiry, the original and widely criticised investigation.

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But in relation to Mr Kelly, he said: "I do not recall firing shots at anyone behind or around the barricade, although I am aware that a bullet from my weapon killed someone who I understand was at the barricade."

At the beginning of the evidence, Christopher Clarke, QC, counsel for the inquiry, referred Soldier F to the testimony of Soldier 027, one of his colleagues in the anti-tank platoon of 1 Bn the Parachute Regiment.

Soldier 027 had described Soldier F as being "from my personal point of view, more than any other individual responsible for instigating and perpetrating what occurred on Bloody Sunday".

The inquiry, which is about to become the longest in British legal history, has been criticised for its enormous cost and length. Lord Saville is expected to report next year.